Insulation blowing machine



Feb. 23, 1943. R. .M. PATTER SON INSULATION BLOWING MACHINE 3Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 2, 1940 Wm WM u f 3 m R. M. PATTERSON2,311,773 msummdu 31.0mm Inca-Ins I Filed Au 2, 1940 s smu -sheet 2 Feb.23, 11943.

Feb 23, 1943. a M. PATTERSON I 3 I INSULATION BLOWING MACHINE Eiled Aug.2, 1940 a Fig.

' 3 Spats-Sheet 5 fiusssu M. PATTERSON v r A QRNEY.

Ptented Feb. 23, E943 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a blowing machine for granulating insulatingmaterials, such as fibrous material of the character of mineral wool andthe like, and feeding same into unfilled spaces of Walls, partitions andother structures to be filled with the insulating material forinsulating the binding structure.

Blowing machines heretofore used for this purpose have employed an airchamber divided by rotatable vanes into a series of radially disposedcompartments, one of which would be filled with the insulating materialfrom a hopper while an oppositely disposed filled one would be emptyingsaid material into the air conduit from the blower. In these blowingmachines, sealing means are required between the ends of the vanes andthe casing wall in which they rotate to prevent the air blowing theinsulating material back into the hopper. The sealing means commonlyused are strips of flexible material attached to the ends of the bladesand extended to resiliently compress against the wall of the casing asthe vanes revolve. i'he lives of the sealing means are relatively shortdue to the abrasive action of the insulating material and they need tobe replaced at frequent intervals. Several radial compartments areprovided so that sealing means will always be assured at all timesbetween the compartment being filled and the one being emptied.

The principle of the present invention is a radical departure fromblowing machines of the type above referred to. Under the presentinvention, the insulating material itself provides the air seal betweenthe air conduit and feeder for said insulating material while themachine is in operation. Furthermore, adjusting means are provided forregulating the density of the insulating material forming the air sealor compressed mass hereinafter described and regulating the size of thegranules into which the insulating material is divided. No amount ofwear of the parts will impair the effective seal between the air conduitand the insulating feeder for any space between relatively moving partsof the machine are sealed by the insulating material being fed throughthe machine.

For a better understanding of the invention,

reference may be made to the accompany drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a machine embodying the invention ;7

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the ma chine;

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of a picker device;

Fig. 4 is an elevational view from the right hand end of the machine:

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the right hand end of the machine Fig. 6is an enlarged front to rear vertical section on line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a view of another embodiment, being a rear view; and Fig. 8 isan enlarged front to rear vertical section on line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Referring specifically to the drawings in which like numerals are usedto designate like parts, numeral i is a frame member composed of a base2 and corner uprights 3 on which a hopper E is mounted leading to achute 5. The base is mounted upon casters 6 so that the frame unit maybe conveniently moved about.

A motor unit 1, having a pedestal 8, is bolted or otherwise attached at9 to one end of the base and operatively connected by belt Hi to ablower device ii, also having a pedestal l2 for being bolted orotherwise attached at l3 to the base 2. Arm it is actuated to tightenthe belt I 0.

A feed device for the insulating material is bolted or otherwisefastened at l5 to the base 2 beneath the chute 5, said feed devicehaving a screw conveyor 15 fitted to a shaft l! which is journalled inthe bottom of a casing wall IS. The casing wall extends to fit thebottom edge wall of the chute to provide a conduit leading from thehopper to the screw conveyor. The casing wall is extended to provide adischarge outlet I 9 into the air conduit 28 leading from the blower toa nozzle 2| on which a hose may be fitted A paddle 22 may beconveniently mounted on a shaft 23 joumalled in the casing wall adjacentthe worm or screw conveyor on the shaft [1. The paddle, having two ormore oppositely disposed fins or blades 2% and 25, is rotated to knockor feed the insulating material from the chute into the path of the wormor screw conveyor. Any positive means for impinging the insulatingmaterial itrto the path of the screw conveyor is satisfac- The end ofthe worm or screw terminates a sub-' stantial distance short of the airconduit 20 to provide a chamber 26 in which the insulating material willbe compressed in the form of a mass 2?, the length of which can beincreased or decreased by moving the worm to the left or to the right onthe shaft and securing it by means of the set screw 28 or other suitablemeans. The longer the chamber 26 is between the end of the screwconveyor and the air conduit 20, the more pressure to which theinsulating material forming the slug 21 is subjected in being pushedthrough said chamber into the air conduit. The annular wall 29 of thechamber may be slightly tapered or constricted towards the discharge endor that end forward of the screw conveyor, thereby slightly compressingthe mass of insulating material radially as it is being forced into theair conduit.

A collar 30 is positioned in the air conduit and may advantageously beadiustably mounted upon shaft I1. It is disposed in the path of the massof insulating material as it is discharged into the air conduit. Thecollar is adjustable upon the shaft by set screw 3|. oppositely disposedfingers 32 are provided on the collar with their portions 38 projectinginwardly at an angle towards the mass of insulating material to engageand tear same apart into granules. Some fingers 32' without angleportions 33 may be provided. These function more to knock apart intosmall pieces the pieces into which the mass is divided by angle portions33. Any number of fingers 32 may be provided and may be of any suitabledesign for breaking up or pulling the mass of insulating material apart.Two of these oppositely disposed fingers alone, or together with fourfingers 32' have been found satisfactory, two of the fingers 32' beingdisposed on each side between fingers 32. The size of the granules intowhich the mass is broken up is regulated by adjusting the collar axiallyon the shaft. The farther the collar is moved to the right and away fromthe mass, the larger are the granules into which the mass is divided.whereas smaller granules are obtained by moving the collar to the leftand towards the mass.

The mass of insulating material is always present in the chamberadjacent the air conduit since the screw conveyor is not extendedthrough to the air conduit or near enough thereto to empty the chamber26 in which the slug is formed. Only the screw conveyor will emptyitself of insulating material when no more insulating material is fedinto the machine. Thus a mass of insulating materialwill at all timesduring operation of the machine be present to provide an air seal andprevent air from the air conduit blowing into the screw conveyorchamber. The coil 34! of insulating material in the helical spacebetween the turns of the screw conveyor fin 35 when the screw conveyoris receiving a supply of insulating material will also help, in additionto the slug, for presenting any fiow of air into the screw feed chamberor the chute.

A closure plate 36 may be advantageously bolted at 31 to portion is ofthe casing in order to give access to the air chamber to permitadiustment of the collar 36. A screw fin 38 or portion, preferablyreverse to the fin 35, may be attached to the shaft ll adjacent theplate 36 to feed back into the air conduit away from the plate anyinsulating material that might tend to collect at the end of the shaftand against the plate. The plate is preferably recessed at 38' to permitthe end of the shaft being journalled therein.

The shaft l1 and feeder supporting shaft 23 are provided with respectivegear wheels 39 and M] over which sprocket chain M is trained from gear42 on shaft 53. Shaft 43 also carries gear 44 to which sprocket chain 45connects from gear 46 on the blower device il. Belt i0 connects thepulley 41 on the motor and another pulley 48 which is mounted on theblower shaft with gear 48.

The modification in Figs. '7 and 8 in principle is much the same as thatabove described, except that the fin 35' of the screw conveyor l6 doesnot terminate a substantial distance short of the air conduit chamber20' but extends up to it. The air conduit chamber 20' is disposed nearthe bottom of the end of the screw conveyor chamber and some insulatingmaterial tends to collect in the upper end of the screw conveyor chamberbeyond the screw and above the air chamber.

While the air seal obtained by the coil 34 of insulating materialpassing through the screw conveyor may be broken when all the insulatingmaterial has been fed out of the machine or beyond the screw fin 35',the coil of insulating material being continuously formed by continuousfeeding of insulating material to the machine satisfactorily provides anair seal while the machine is in operation and before all the materialis fed to the air chamber.

While I have described the machine in details of construction, it willbe understood that there may be various changes without departing fromconveyor between the hopper and the blow chamber for feeding insulatingmaterial from the hopper to the blow chamber, a constricted passage ofsubstantial length between the blow chamber and the end of the screwconveyor. a picker in the blow chamber, and means for adjusting thespaced relation of the screw conveyor to the picker.

2. A device for handling fibrous insulating material comprising ahopper, a blow chamber, a screw conveyor between said hopper and blowchamber for feeding insulating material from the hopper to the blowchamber, means for radially compressing the insulating material in acompacted wadded mass as some is fed from the hopper to the blowchamber, said mass serving as an air seal between the hopper and blowchamber, rotary means in the blow chamber for breaking up the weddedmass into granules, and means for blowing the granules through the blowchamber transversely to the direction of feed of the material into saidblow chamber.

3. A device for handling fibrous insulating material comprising ahopper, a blow chamber, a screw conveyor between said hopper and blowchamber for feeding insulating material from the hopper in a compactedwadded mass to the blow chamber, said mass serving as an air seal whilebeing fed between the hopper and the blow chamber, rotary means forbreaking up the compacted mass of insulating material after same hasbeen fed into the blow chamber, and means for blowing the insulatingmaterial through the blow chamber transversely to its direction of feedof the material into said blow chamber.

RUSSELL M. PATTERSON.

